Short Stories of Enlightenment

The original text of this article was in Chinese, and the author is unknown.

During an enemy attack, a soldier found a cave to take cover in. The enemy was trying to chase him so he went into the cave, praying that they wouldn’t see him there. All of a sudden, he felt a spider bite him. He was about to kill the spider, but he felt merciful and let the spider go. The spider climbed over to the opening of the cave and started to spin the web over the entrance. The enemy came up to the cave and saw that the web was untouched, so they figured nobody was in the cave. Thus, the soldier’s life was saved.

Enlightenment: Sometimes, when we help others we end up helping ourselves as well.

A father lost his pocket watch and searched everywhere for it. But, try as he might, he couldn’t find it after many hours. After he had left the room, his son came in and found it right away. His father asked, “How did you discover it?” He replied, “I just sat there quietly until I could hear the tick-tock, tick-tock of the clock.”

Enlightenment: Sometimes, if we are too busy and anxious trying to find something we want, we fail. But if we quiet down, we not only get what we want, but we also hear our inner voice.

There was a traveler who stopped by a temple and saw a monk. He asked him, “Before you became an enlightened monk, what do you do?” The monk replied, “I chop wood, carry water, and cook.” The traveler said, “What about after you became a monk? What do you do now?” The monk said, “I chop wood, carry water, and cook.” The traveler asked, “So there is no difference?” The old monk said, “Before becoming a monk, when I chop wood, I would worry about carrying water. When I carried the water, I would worry about cooking. When I was cooking, I would worry about chopping wood. But after becoming a monk, when I chop the wood, I just chop the wood. When I carry the water, I just carry the water. When I cook, I just cook.”

Enlightenment: If a person doesn’t like what they are doing, no matter how talented or smart they are, they cannot fully develop their potential. But if they like what they do, then you will be surprised to see how much their ability has increased. A lot of times, if we don’t achieve something, it is not because we are not capable. It may not be in our favor or our interest.

During the Second World War, a Jewish family was being prosecuted. The family’s two sons went out to seek help. The older son looked for someone who helped him before while, the younger one went to look for someone he had helped before. In the end, the older son was rescued, but the younger son was betrayed.

Enlightenment: Whoever loves you will continue to help you willingly. But whomever you love will not necessary always do the same.

A robin was flying to the east when he met a dove. They rested on a tree, and the dove asked the robin where he was going. He replied, “I don’t want to leave. But the residents of this neighborhood said that my song is ugly.” The dove said, “Don’t try so hard. If you can never change your voice, wherever you go, you will not be welcome .”

A donkey fell into a dry well. People tried to save him, but it was impossible, so they decided to bury the donkey there. At first, the donkey cried sadly when he felt the soil on his back, after a while; he fell silent. Then the donkey started to shake off the dirt when it hit his back and stomped it under his foot. Gradually, the soil under his feet made him move higher and higher. With the increased height, he was able to jump out of the well, to everyone’s surprise.

Enlightenment: When life throws challenges at us, we have a choice. We can cry, complain, and idle. Or we can take action by shaking off the dirt that is thrown on us and move upward.